Josie 'Was a Little Hurt' By Fan Criticism

The 'Top Chef' veteran didn't expect such a major reaction to her this season.

With her second go-round on Top Chef, Josie Malave never anticipated the amount of attention, comments and tweets she'd inspire. Some were kind, but many people voiced their criticism of the boisterous chef, be it about her personality, who she outlasted in the competition, her hair -- you name it, someone probably said it. So now that she was sent home and subsequently beat by Kristen Kish in Last Chance Kitchen, how is Josie reflecting on the season?

In an interview with EW.com, Josie says that at first reading and hearing some of the negative things about her stung. "Talk about strong reactions. I didn’t realize that the mention of my name or the introduction of a photo could cause such a riot," she tells EW. "It’s wild, honestly. And it’s cool, too. [laughs] I’m not gonna lie. At first I was a little hurt by the things people were saying. And I had a few conversations with friends and family and they said, 'Josie, really, give me a break. You’re this, you’re that. Don’t let what they say — unless they know you and unless they’ve eaten your food, they should just shut up.'"

Josie says that after controversially moving on while Kristen was sent home during their Restaurant Wars pairing, she was reflective of the situation, but ultimately knew she had to compartmentalize. "You’re gonna have successes and failures and you have to keep your head up and you can’t even let the last challenge affect you. I mean, once the judges make their call, you’ve gotta move on. You can’t second-guess it."